Chorizo Ricotta Salad
The weather this October has been particularly gorgeous in our corner of the world, with balmy temperatures and gorgeous scenery, begging for walks through the forest and making use of the balcony (albeit with a blanket and tea) for as long as still humanly possible.
It also meant that comfort food has taken a back seat again and lunches have been a plethora of various salads - they are after all so easy to make and sooo delicious.
My friend Simona gave me the idea for this one and I, being who I am, couldn’t resist a few tweaks. The main elements remain, chorizo and ricotta (and they go oh so well together) but I added pumpkin seeds, pears, and a maple-mustard vinaigrette which, to me, is the absolute star of this show. The combination is fall personified and the gorgeous colours make it so inviting to eat.
I’ve used baby spinach leaves and purple rucola (which I didn’t even know existed until I saw it randomly at the market) but feel free to use whatever dark leafy greens you like.
The chorizo I used is the spicy kind but, of course, you can use the mild version.
Let me know if you make this salad in the comments and don’t hesitate to subscribe for more recipes weekly straight to your inbox!
Ingredients (serves 2)
100g mixed leafy greens (about 4 good handfuls)
1 pear
10 slices of chorizo
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp fresh ricotta
For the salad dressing
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp maple syrup
1 tsp dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste
Make the dressing. In a jar combine all the dressing ingredients. Shake well until it emulsifies. Set aside.
In a pan on medium heat fry the chorizo until crisp. Remove the chorizo and, in the leftover chorizo oil, toast the pumpkin seeds. Keep an eagle eye on them, they tend to burn quickly.
Cut the pear in thin slices.
To assemble the salad, place the leafy greens in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over them and mix well. Add the sliced pear, fried chorizo slices, toasted pumpkin seeds, and dollops of ricotta cheese. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt, pepper, and a few drops each of olive oil and maple syrup.
Dig in and enjoy!